Put your hand in your pocket or get your kit on – it’s up to you!
On a typically cold, wet and thoroughly miserable Manchester day last November, Craig Fairclough (Bensons & Clark Vending); James Howcroft (Aimia Foods); David Bamford (Crane Merchandising Systems); Laura Starkie (The Broderick Group) and Mark Hepburn (HMRC), (pictured), tackled the elements and the 10k Rat Race obstacle course – part of the Survival of the Fittest event which was held at The Etihad Stadium.
It’s no wonder they call it Survival of the Fittest: there was running, canal dunking; stair scrambling, wall climbing; monkey bars, sandbag toting, cone carrying and finally – and toughest of all – an eight feet tall ‘wall of fame’ to be conquered, just when reserves of strength and stamina were so stretched that ‘the team was running on fumes.’
The good news is that all the team members made it to the end in one piece, posting times between 1hour, 11 minutes and 1hour, 54 minutes.
Craig, James and David have competed in the event before and they knew exactly what to expect but it was a ‘first’ for Laura: quite how she ended up with the fastest time on the day is anybody’s guess (and has been the subject of some soul-searching amongst her team mates 😉
The lads, operating as ‘Team Dumb & Dumber’, have committed to a series of events in 2016 and Myrtle Coffee’s Gary Braid will be making a guest appearance for the Snowdonia event.
- Tough Mudder 12 mile assault course. South London 30th April 2016
- Snowdonia Race the Sun (Cycle, Hike, Canoe & cycle some more) 11th June 2016
- Rat Race Survival of the Fittest 10k assault course (Manchester event) 5th November 2016
If you’re interested, there’s a space going begging if anybody out there fancies making a guest appearance in Manchester…
‘We’re doing it all because we like doing it and we enjoy the challenge’, David Bamford said, through gritted teeth. (Apparently, he’s been told if he keeps on saying that sentence, one day he’ll believe it).
‘We want to raise money for and awareness of people who take on much bigger obstacles as part and parcel of their everyday lives’, David said. ‘Our good friend Chris Annon, of the Mount Charles Group, has a daughter, Faye, who’s just fifteen months old. She was born with a blood disorder called Diamond-Blackfan Anaemia.’
Diamond Blackfan Anaemia (DBA) is a rare blood condition that’s usually diagnosed in the first twelve months of life. DBA patients are unable to produce red blood cells properly and require medical care ranging from monthly blood transfusions to regular steroid treatment and – in some cases – bone marrow transplant.
‘Under the rules of the Snowdonia Challenge we have to raise £2,000 between the four of us for the charity Regain‘, David said. ‘Having reached that target, we intend that the rest of the money we raise will go to a charity nominated by Chris, namely ‘The Diamond Blackfan Anaemia Charity’.
‘Please look out for the just giving links which we’re setting up’, David said. ‘Also, we’re offering sponsorship space on our running and cycling jerseys, but if you’re interested in that please ‘book early’ – we’ll need pledges fast to give the printers a chance!’
PV says ‘good luck’ and if you’re considering sponsoring Team Dumb and Dumber (and who wouldn’t want their brand to be associated with such a wonderful team name?), then you can count on the fact that, here on PV at least, their pictures – ergo your logo – will be wall to wall.
Your generosity will be much appreciated by everyone and especially the young people who are affected by this disorder. You can get the ball rolling by contacting David on 07808 716774 or by e-mail to Da***********@********co.uk
